Ryan and Michelle play a couple whose marriage is in trouble in the film and the scene that has been thought to be the deciding factor in the rating is a drunken, hotel-room sex scene, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Weinstein Co. acquired Blue Valentine after the Sundance Film Festival and screened the film at Cannes and Toronto and has its sights set on awards. But the NC-17 rating, which prevent anyone who is 17 and under from seeing the film, could reportedly hurt its chances at receiving awards.

Blue Valentine is set for a Dec. 31 released and a formal appeal hearing will take place in November.

Harvey Weinstein, head of Weinstein Co., issued a statement Thursday thanking those who have supported the film.

“We want to express our deepest gratitude to our colleagues in the industry and in the media for their recent outpouring of support for Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine after the film surprisingly received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA,” he said. “We are taking every possible step to contest the MPAA’s decision. We respect the work of the MPAA and we hope, after having a chance to sit down with them, they will see that our appeal is reasonable, and the film, which is an honest and personal portrait of a relationship, would be significantly harmed by such a rating.”